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US Water tells Hartsville council five industries enrolled; urges updated sewer-use rules and a dedicated coordinator
Summary
US Water briefed the Hartsville council on gaps in the city's industrial pre-treatment program, saying five industrial users are enrolled and recommending updated permits, a full-time program coordinator and revised surcharge enforcement to shift costs away from ratepayers.
Hartsville council members heard a briefing from contract operator US Water on the city's industrial pre-treatment program, where company representatives said the city currently lists five industrial users in the program and recommended ordinance revisions and staffing changes to ensure industrial dischargers pay their fair share.
The company's local representative, Jeff, told the council, "In Hartsville you have five currently you have five industries in your program." US Water said the state and federal pre-treatment standards that underpin the city's sewer-use ordinance require annual inspections, semi-annual performance summaries to the state and mechanisms to charge stronger discharges additional treatment costs.
City and contract staff told the council they have identified gaps in the inventory of nonresidential dischargers and in enforcement. US Water recommended the city coordinate with the building department to survey nonresidential sites, revise permits as needed and submit the updated program to the state for approval. The presenter also said the city's existing surcharge mechanism applies when discharges exceed higher-strength thresholds (the transcript cites values of roughly "200" and "240" when discussing those thresholds).
During the presentation US Water described a multi-step action plan: complete property surveys, draft and approve revised industrial permits, and implement a compliance and fee structure that aligns charges with actual wastewater load. The presenters also recommended creating a full-time industrial pre-treatment program coordinator to run surveys, oversee permit issuance and handle enforcement work the transcript identifies as currently being done inconsistently.
Council members and staff asked how changes would affect residents' bills. Presenters said more accurate industrial accounting and collection from nonresidential users would reduce the subsidy currently borne by ratepayers. As one presenter said, the goal is to let industrial users "pay their fair share" rather than having everyday residents carry the burden.
US Water and city staff said they expect an active outreach process with industrial users and that changes would not be implemented without council approval. Next steps listed in the presentation included drafting ordinance language, returning to council for review and seeking state approval of any formal program changes; staff also said they would send a notice letter to affected industrial users and invite their participation in the revision process. The council entered executive session after the public presentation to address other agenda items.
